


Can Beauty come out Of Ashes?

by MidEvalLight1949



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Smut, I promise, I too would start a civil war for Bucky Barnes, New York City, Protective Avengers, Steve is such a mom, more tags later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 11:20:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15817860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidEvalLight1949/pseuds/MidEvalLight1949
Summary: With enough tension on the team to choke a body builder, Bucky has decided to opt against staying on the Avengers compound with the team and his best friend. After Tony finding out how exactly his parents died and the accords slowly trying to the weasel themselves into everything team does, Bucky Barnes just didn't want to add to that, not with him still being considered the Winter Soldier.In hopes of avoiding or causing any more building strain on America's hero's, the former assassin moved into an apartment building on the outskirts of New York, away from the busy city - away from the team and away from prodding eyes of the government trying to mark him down as a war criminal.





	Can Beauty come out Of Ashes?

**Author's Note:**

> I absolutely love the concept idea of Bucky trying to live normally in an apartment. I love the idea of him meeting a neighbor and building a friendship or something more that is not with Steve and just allowing him to be regular man. I feel that in reality that's what Bucky deserves.
> 
> I hope you enjoy my writing and please don't hesitate to leave a comment and tell me what you think!

 

 His heart was pounding. His skin was damp and he couldn't stop wiping his palm on his pant leg as he stared at the door,  _his door_   to _his_ apartment. Memories flashed behind his eyes to the several months he lived in Romania, he had his own apartment there but he didn't quiver before it like he did this one. There he was on the run, looking over his shoulder for an unfriendly face and he lived in straight up panic that he couldn't understand why his hair wasn't grey yet. It's been a couple years since Romania and couple years since he's lived on his own, as a grown man he shouldn't be a shaking sweating mess. 

"You know the door won't bite 'ya right?" A voice echoed in his ear that sent his pounding heart into overdrive and his body to freeze with a sharp breath. The plastic bags of groceries he was holding slipped from his fingers, hitting the ground with enough force to have the apples and other fruit come tumbling out. 

"Oh, oh my god I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to spook 'ya!" The voice belonged to a woman, that's what Bucky's sputtering brain had registered. He followed with a flick of his blue eyes to watch as a brunette woman fell to her knees and started to grab his fallen fruit and place it back in the bag. He watched her, stared at her like his brain was trying to find any sort of a danger that this woman could bring to him and for once in his life, he was wishing he could slap the hell out of himself. 

Shaking his head and clenching his stiff hands, Bucky slowly settled to his knees and helped pick up his fallen groceries; making a mental note to tell Steve that he did not need this much fruit. He went to reach for a ripe purple plum but a small pale hand went for it faster and both adults pulled their respective appendage back, hazel eyes turning up from the floor to look into his blues. 

The woman smiled and Bucky gulped. 

"Again, I'm sorry if I scared you. I've been told I walk like an earthquake so I thought you heard me." 

Bucky shook his head and gently grabbed the bag from the brunette, holding it open for her to drop the last Plum. "I wasn't paying attention anyway, I was kind of lost in thought."

the woman hummed and shouldered her bag, both now standing to their feet the two adults stood before each other awkwardly, the woman picking at a charm on her purse while Bucky just flat out tried not to look at her. 

"I'm Elizabeth." She broke the silence. "I live right down the hall at 32A. I haven't seen you before." She kept her voice soft and a smile to her lips that finally made Bucky look up. Thumbing the strap of the plastic bag he breathed in and out softly before looking up to her once more, really looking at her and it made him want to look down again. She was beautiful in his mind and the deep hazel of her eyes was so bright they lit up her features when she smiled at him. 

Oh no. There goes his racing heart once more.

"My name's James." He mumbled and looked from Elizabeth to the shut mahogany door that had a brass 28A right above the eye hole. "First night in a new place." 

"Ah first night jitters, I remember those well." That smile was still to her face and Bucky could now feel a heat to his cheeks as she continued to stand before him.  _Please spare me._ He thought.  _I can't hold a conversation for shit._

Elizabeth fully looked this man over. His head lowered with a baseball cap obscuring her vision of his face but he was rugged from what she could tell. A full beard of dark hair, tan skin and blue eyes that were so bright she wanted to move the cap to look at them again. She noticed his attire was not mid summer approved with a layer of shirts, a coat and gloves but she tried to not pay much mind. She mostly felt awful for scaring this burly beast of a man just by speaking. Was he always this jumpy?

Shaking her head and upon seeing him become stiff and stand rigged, she decided that it was time for her to leave him alone and to someday open his door. Offering Bucky one more smile that lit up her eyes, she turned toward the direction of her apartment; ready to forget this awkward exchange. 

"Well I'll leave you to figure out when to open your door. I'm just down the hall if you need help with anything." With that she fully turned to walk to her door but threw a small wave over her head. not seeing the quiet man gently lift up his left arm in a small wave goodbye. 


End file.
